Many Russians prefer to travel by air today. Of course, tickets for this type of transport are more expensive than, for example, for the same trains, but you can also get to your destination by air much faster. However, of course, people who make flights do not least think about their safety. The list of Russian airlines today is quite wide, and most of them, fortunately, are considered reliable in this regard.
A bit of history
Many people remember that in Soviet times, only one company, Aeroflot, carried passengers by air. It was founded in 1921. Initially it was given the name "Deruluft". In 1923 the company was renamed Dobrolet. The name Aeroflot was given to the civil air fleet of the RSFSR in 1932.
New companies
Unfortunately, in the 90s of the last century, the only Russian airline ceased to exist, splitting up into several smaller ones. Today, the aircraft of the Aeroflot corporation are again surfing the airspace of Russia and other countries of the world. However, by now it is far from the only carrier in our country. includes both giants that can compete with Aeroflot and small charter firms.
Carrier safety selection criteria
Accidents do not happen often, but usually end in a big tragedy with many casualties. Therefore, the choice of the airline, of course, should be approached with all responsibility. Before purchasing a ticket for any flight, you should make sure that the carrier is able to ensure the safety of the flight. This can be done very simply.
Since 1999, by order of the Russian Federal Aviation Service, a program for monitoring the safety of civil traffic has been in place in our country. Within its framework, every ship flying in the airspace of Russia, whether foreign or domestic, can be checked for compliance with safety standards at any airport in the country. On the basis of the inspections carried out, the safety rating of the shipping companies is compiled. After reviewing it, you can decide, among other things, whether it is worth using the services of a particular company.
The largest Russian carriers
What kind of giants does the list of Russian airlines include? The rating of safe carriers will be presented to the attention of the reader below. The list of the largest domestic airlines by the number of passengers carried and size is as follows:
Aeroflot. This carrier, although it is no longer the only one, currently tops the list of Russian airlines with the largest fleet. Last on this moment consists of 106 modern machines. this company belongs to the state.
S7-Airlines ("Siberia"). This company is currently the leader in domestic Russian transportation. The carrier has 42 aircraft. The company operates 80 routes, with only 26 of them being foreign.
"Russia". This company is also owned by the state. Most of its flights by air are carried out to the countries of the former CIS and to Far East... However, the aircraft of the Rossiya company also fly to European countries. This carrier has a fleet of 30 aircraft.
Utair. This company also owns 30 cars. Its main feature is the presence of a helicopter fleet. This carrier occupies both 4th and 5th places in the rating.
This list can also be supplemented by the carrier OrenAir (Orenburg and Orsk). This company is mainly engaged in charter flights. Its fleet includes 29 aircraft.
Rating of the safest airlines in Russia
Below, in descending order, we present you a list of Russian airlines that are considered (according to the Rosaviatsia 2015 rating) the safest:
Ural Airlines. Although this company was not included in the list of the 7 largest, today it tops the list of the safest. During the entire existence of this carrier, there have been only 3 aircraft incidents. And they all did without casualties.
S7 Airlines. This carrier has been responsible for 3 major accidents since the opening. In 2001, a Tu-154 plane belonging to the Siberia company was shot down by Ukrainians over the Black Sea. In this case, 178 people died. Another accident occurred with the Tu-154 of the S7 Airlines brand (51 people). The next crash killed 125 passengers (A310). By now, this carrier is considered one of the most reliable in terms of security in Europe.
Aeroflot. This company has four accidents. The most famous one took place in 1994. The pilot put his 15-year-old son at the helm. Unknowingly, the teenager pressed one of the levers, as a result of which the autopilot was disabled. It was not possible to align the plane, and it left in a dive. This accident killed 75 people.
The list of Russian airlines in terms of safety can, of course, be continued. In principle, compliance monitoring legal entitiesengaged in air transportation today is quite serious. However, the companies listed above are currently considered the best in terms of security.
The ranking of the companies with the oldest aircraft
The average age of the fleet in the Russian Federation in 2016 is 12 years. The list of Russian airlines with the oldest aircraft looks like this:
Kagalymavia - 17.1 years old.
"North Wind" - 14 years old.
"Nord-Avia" - 14.
Yamal - 13.7 years old.
Ural Airlines - 12.3 years.
Yuteyr - 11.7.
Orenburg Airlines - 10.8.
Siberia - 9.6.
Red Wings - 6.6.
Aeroflot - 4.4.
Are any companies banned from flying to Europe?
Some passengers would probably like to know if there are such Russian air carriers that are not allowed to fly to the EU countries. Indeed, in these states there are certain safety standards and specific requirements are imposed on the technical condition of aircraft. At the same time, "black lists" of companies are regularly drawn up, which are prohibited from flying in the airspace of Europe.
At the beginning of the new millennium, some Russian carriers actually had to abandon flights to Europe. The list of banned Russian airlines included, among other things, such a giant as Ural Airlines (partially). Also, flights of old airplanes "Kuban Airlines", "Airlines 400" and some others were prohibited. However, these were not sanctions from the European Union. The ban came from Rostransnadzor and Rosaviatsia. At the moment, ships of all Russian companies can operate flights to Europe.
Air liners are the most popular way to travel from one point to another today. Due to the large number of airlines, a passenger can choose a suitable carrier for himself, focusing on his own preferences and reviews of other travelers left on the Internet. Per last years the list of Russian airlines has been replenished with new names that have not yet gained popularity among the general mass of our compatriots. Therefore, the question of choosing the right carrier becomes more and more acute over time, especially in the summer season, when most of the Russians tend to go on vacation. In our article you can familiarize yourself with the lists of Russian airlines, formed according to different characteristics. And you will also find out by what criteria the average passenger makes a choice.
Rating options
Airline ratings are published annually on the Internet based on passengers' ratings posted on the official website of the carrier. Most often, they are formed by automated systems, regardless of company affiliation. This list of the best Russian airlines also falls from time to time, although they do not yet occupy places in the top three leaders. Most often, the following indicators are taken into account when creating a rating:
- fleet size;
- technical condition of air liners;
- level of passenger traffic;
- service on board;
- quality of food;
- technical equipment of the salon (uninterrupted Wi-Fi, the ability to communicate by mobile phone, and so on);
- reliability.
Usually, an automated program adds up all the ratings for the parameters listed above and, depending on the result obtained, puts the airline in the rating in one place or another. However, such a list is not always convenient for our compatriots to be guided by, because there are not too many Russian air carriers in them. What if you are interested in a list of airlines from Russia? For this purpose, we have collected in the article our own ratings of domestic carriers, formed according to various characteristics.
Most reliable airlines
What flight is each passenger waiting for? Of course, comfortable, tasty and fast, but first of all we all hope that the flight will be safe. Therefore, this characteristic worries our compatriots most of all when they face the question of choosing an air carrier. We present to your attention the TOP 5 most reliable airlines in Russia. The list looks like this:
- Aeroflot;
- "Russia";
- "Victory";
- Yamal;
- I Fly.
We will briefly describe each company.
Aeroflot
For several years now, this leader has not been inferior to anyone in the list of the safest air carriers. It is known that the company's liners are regularly updated and their average age is four years.
Aeroflot is based in Moscow and has an aircraft fleet of more than one hundred and fifty liners. The rating of the company is added by ten years of membership in the international association of air carriers.
"Russia"
Second on the list this airline takes quite deservedly. The base airfield is Pulkovo in St. Petersburg. It is interesting that a few years ago the carrier was in the third place in such a rating. Now, despite the average age of the liners, reaching eleven or thirteen years, "Russia" was able to improve its result. The aircraft fleet includes, according to the latest data, forty-four aircraft.
Initially, the company was part of the Aeroflot group, but not so long ago it merged with the Orenburg ALs.
"Victory"
This company is a popular Russian low-cost airline. It has about twelve airliners, with an average age of less than two years. This gives Pobeda the opportunity to receive very high marks from passengers who, on each flight, note the novelty of the aircraft and the comfort of the cabin.
The airline is based at Vnukovo airport. It also takes place here maintenance aircraft.
"Yamal"
This airline is well known in the West Siberian region, it is based in Salekhard and has an extensive fleet of aircraft. Passengers respond positively to flights operated by this carrier. In addition, it has a very wide geography of routes.
Yamal owns twenty-four aircraft, but their average age is fourteen years.
I fly
It is one of the youngest airlines in the country. It is based in Vnukovo and has only four airliners. Their age is more than seventeen years, but still the air carrier is confidently holding the fifth place in our rating, which is quite surprising for such a young organization.
There are not too many reviews of this carrier on the Internet, but more than sixty percent of them are positive. This is what allowed the airline to take such a high position in the rating of reliable air carriers.
The largest airlines in Russia: list
The five largest carriers are as follows:
- Aeroflot. It is not surprising that this organization is also the leader in this rating. The oldest Russian airline operates with fifty countries of the world and annually carries eight and a half million people. According to the latest data, the air carrier operates on one hundred and thirty-one routes.
- S7. Every inhabitant of Siberia is familiar with the logo and colors of this company. Two million six hundred thousand people use its services annually, they fly in eighty-three directions. With this air carrier, passengers can travel within the country and fly to overseas resorts.
- UTair. Everyone knows that the airline will go through a crisis that has lasted for several years. But even he did not affect the rating of the air carrier. The significantly reduced UTair aircraft fleet now numbers sixty airliners, which annually carry one million six hundred thousand passengers on domestic and international routes.
- Ural Airlines. This organization is actively expanding its positions; it owns thirty-seven fairly new aircraft. All passengers note the high level of comfort during the flight and the delicious hot meals provided on long-distance routes.
- "Russia". We have already written about this airline in the previous rating, where it ranked second in terms of reliability. A passenger traffic of one million three hundred thousand people allowed "Russia" to enter the list of the country's largest air carriers.
Airlines of Russia, list: rating of the cheapest air carriers
Numerous low-cost airlines are very active in Europe, providing passengers with cheap air tickets, the price of which includes a minimum package of services on board. Thanks to such companies, even students can afford to travel to different countries.
However, when we tried to compile a list of cheap Russian airlines, it turned out that our country cannot even boast of two low-cost air carriers. Therefore, only one and only company entered our rating - Pobeda. This carrier was created three years ago specifically to make it easier for Russians to move around our vast country. It replaced the first domestic low-cost airline Dobrolet, which did not last long.
Our compatriots always note in their reviews low prices on tickets, punctuality and professionalism of employees. Therefore, if you want to relax as cheaply as possible, then purchase tickets for Pobeda flights.
Charter flights of Russian air carriers: rating
In the summer season, when the passenger traffic significantly increases, charter airlines of Russia become in demand. The list is not too extensive, it is represented by only two organizations:
- Azur Air. This airline has been operating for three years and operates flights for the tour operator Anex. On average, the carrier operates flights on eighteen routes, the average age of aircraft is almost twenty years.
- Royal Flight. This charter originated from a company primarily engaged in air cargo three years ago. At the moment, Royal Flight operates flights for the tour operator Coral Travel. The airline has mastered the Asian direction and several routes to the resorts of Greece.
We hope that with the help of our article it will become much easier for you to navigate in Russian air carriers, and your flight will be comfortable, inexpensive and safe.
The Greek airline Aegean Airlines was founded in 1999 on the basis of the private airline Aegean Aviation, which was the first in Greece to receive an operator certificate and was engaged in performing charter flights on aircraft of the Bombardier Learjet Family (transportation of 7-10 passengers over distances of up to 3.778 - 5.556 kilometers). Aegean Airlines operated its first flights in May 1999 (Athens-Heraklion flight and Athens-Thessaloniki flight) ...
The Argentine airline Aerolineas Argentinas was founded on December 7, 1950 by government decree Nº 26.099. Next year, the Inter-American Press Information Society recognized Aerolineas Argentinas as the world's best commercial airline in terms of operational efficiency and quality of service. On January 27, 1953, Aerolineas Argentinas began operating scheduled flights from Buenos Aires to ...
The Mexican airline Aeromexico was founded on October 1, 1988. However, Aeromexico has a longer history as Aeromexico's roots go back to Aeronaves de Mexico, which operated its first Mexico-Acapulco flight on the Stinson SR on September 14, 1934. After the formation of Aerovias de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (which used the Aeromexico trademark and the Eagle Warrior emblem) by air ...
Air Arabia, a low-cost airline from the United Arab Emirates, operated its first flight from Sharjah to Manama on October 28, 2003. Since, airline Air Arabia has begun to methodically increase the number of destinations this air carrier operates on. Air Arabia made a particularly tangible increase in the number of new destinations in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Quite an interesting fact is that in the open spaces of the former ...
Air Astana is the undoubted leader among the airlines in Kazakhstan. Air Astana operated its first flight on May 15, 2002 on the Almaty - Astana route. The presence among the shareholders of a company that itself is engaged in the production of aircraft (BAE Systems, as part of the consortium Eurofighter GmbH, is engaged in the production of part of the fourth generation multi-role fighter Eurofighter Typhoon, thanks to which our MiG-35 ...
Organized by former Pan American pilot Kim Lundgren, Air Berlin operated its first flight from Berlin to Palma de Mallorca on April 28, 1979, on a Boeing 707. In April 1991, Air Berlin underwent a major redesign. Following the purchase of 82.5% of Air Berlin by Joachim Hunold, the company was renamed from Air Berlin Inc. at Air Berlin GmbH & Co. Luftverkehrs ...
Canadian airline Air Canada operated its maiden flight on September 1, 1937, when it carried two passengers and mail from Vancouver to Seattle on a Lockheed L-10A aircraft (although at the time, Air Canada was called Trans-Canada Air Lines). Air Canada received its current name only in 1964. Since 1984, Air Canada has launched its Airplane Frequent Flyer Program ...
Air China Limited was established on the basis of its predecessor Air China and began operations on September 30, 2004, providing air transportation services under the control of China Aviation Group. Air China is China's premier carrier for civil aviation and a member of the world's largest aviation alliance Star Alliance (28 airlines). Air China operates 284 passenger cars ...
The airline Air Europa (Air Europa Lineas Aereas, S.A.U.) was founded in 1986 and at first was engaged in the implementation of charter flights. In 1991, Air Europa was acquired by a group of investors led by Juan Jose Hidalgo. In 1993, Air Europa began operating regular flights within Spain. In 1994 Air Europa starts regular flights Madrid - Barcelona and challenges Ibe ...
Air France originated from a merger agreement between five French airlines Air Union, Air Orient, Societe Generale de Transport Aerien (SGTA), CIDNA and Aeropostale signed on August 17, 1933. Air France made its first flight at 4:45 am on September 1, 1933 (flight AF-491 from Marseille to Toulouse). A little later (at 8:30), the second Air France flight (AF-471) departed for Strasbourg from Par ...
Air Malta was registered on March 30, 1973 and already on April 1, 1973, as a gift from the Prime Minister of Malta, received a license to perform air services for a period of 10 years. However, Air Malta was able to operate its first flight only a year later. Having leased 2 Boeing 720B airliners from Pakistan International Airlines on April 1, 1974, Air Malta began ...
The official date of foundation of Air Moldova is considered to be January 12, 1993 (decree of the President of the Republic of Moldova), however, the employees of Air Moldova, not without reason, have a slightly different opinion. The fact is that the Air Moldova airline arose as a result of the reorganization of the aviation industry in Moldova, having received from it both flight and service units. In fact, Air Moldova is a continuation of ...
Air New Zealand began its history back in April 1940. In those days, Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) began operating trans-Tasman flights on flying boats. The airline Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) quickly expanded its route network (Australia, Asia, USA, UK, Germany) and in 1951 opened the very popular Pacific “Coral Route” Auckland-Fiji, which interested the ruler ...
Based in Belgrade international airport Air Serbia was created as a result of the rebranding of Jat Airways. After several attempts, on August 1, 2013, the government of the Republic of Serbia signed an agreement with Etihad Airways. According to this agreement: the national airline of Serbia Jat Airways is obliged to change its name to Air Serbia; 49% of shares of Air Serbia become the property of the airline ...
Air Seychelles was formed in 1978 as a result of the renaming of the state-owned airline of the Republic of Seychelles (formed in 1977 by the government's purchase of several small air carrier companies operating between the islands of Mahe, Praslin and Frigate). Air Seychelles was originally positioned as an air carrier for domestic flights only. However, in ...
The history of airBaltic began with the joint venture agreement AIR BALTIC CORPORATION SIA signed on 28 August 1995. On October 1, 1995, the first aircraft of airBaltic SAAB 340 (a passenger turboprop aircraft capable of carrying from 30 to 36 people over distances of up to 1,730 km) landed at the Riga airport. In 1996, airBaltic receives its first AVRO RJ70 aircraft and joins the SAS program ...
Air One S.p.A., operating as Air One "Smart Carrier", is an Italian low-cost airline headquartered in Fiumicino (Rome), a subsidiary of the country's flagship airline, Alitalia. The carrier's hubs are Milan Malpensa Airport, Pisa Airport, Venice Marco Polo Airport and Catania Fontanarossa Airport. Immediately before the merger with Alitalia, Air One was the second largest airline ...
AirX Charter is Malta's private charter airline. AirX is certified by the European Aviation Operator (AOC) in Malta and has a fleet of 18 aircraft, consisting of: Airbus A340, 3 x Boeing 737 (two in VIP configuration), 7 x Bombardier Challenger 850, 4 x Cessna Citation X, 3 x Embraer Legacy 600 ....
The largest airline in Italy, Alitalia, was founded in September 1946 and at that time was called Alitalia-Aereolinee Italiane Internazionali. Alitalia operated its first flight on May 5, 1947, on a three-engine Fiat G-12 aircraft (Turin - Rome - Catania flight). In July of the same year, Alitalia will make its first international flight. Alitalia delivers on Savoia Marchetti SM95 ...
The largest US air carrier, American Airlines, was formed in 1934, after the renaming of American Airways, which began its history on April 15, 1926. In 1937 (February 16), American Airlines carried its millionth passenger. On January 25, 1959, American Airlines operates its first transcontinental flight. In 1998, American Airlines became the first airline ...
Japanese airline ANA was established on April 1, 2013, with the transition of All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. for a holding structure and transformation to ANA HOLDINGS INC. ANA's history began in December 1952, when Japan Helicopter & Airplane Transports Co., Ltd. Japan Helicopter & Airplane Transports C ...
Asiana Airlines was founded on February 17, 1988. Ten months later (December 10), Asiana Airlines acquired the Boeing B737-400 and began operating domestic flights (from Seoul to Busan and Gwangju). As early as December 1989, Asiana Airlines operated its first international flight (Seoul-Sendai charter flight). Asiana Airlines is rapidly developing its own infrastructure and ...
Based at the Greek International Airport of Thessaloniki, Astra Airlines operated its first flight in the summer of 2008. Specializing in charter flights, Astra Airlines is JAR - OPS - 1 (AOC) certified and strictly adheres to the safety rules established by JAA / EASA. Having at its disposal an air fleet consisting of two mid-sized aircraft BAe-146-300 "Whisperjet" and ...
Atlasglobal (until 2015 Atlasjet; official name Atlasjet Havacılık A.Ş.) - turkish airline, performing regular and charter passenger air transportation both in Europe and Asia, and within Turkey. Based in Istanbul Ataturk Airport, with an additional hub at Dalaman Airport. Belongs to ETS Group ....
On 4 April 1957, the merger of both Austrian airlines (Air Austria and Austrian Airways) resulted in Austrian Airlines, which was officially registered as Austrian Airlines AG on 30 September 1957. On March 31, 1958, Austrian Airlines operated its first flight (Vienna - London). To operate its flights until March 1, 1960, Austrian Airlines uses its four turbo ...
Colombian airline Avianca is the largest air carrier Latin America... The history of Avianca began with the creation of the national airline of Colombia "Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transporte Aereo" (SCADTA) on December 5, 1919. SCADTA made its maiden flight, during which one passenger with two pilots flew from Barranquil to Puerto Berrio, in September 1920. July 23, 1921, and ...
Azur Air (legal name PKF KATEKAVIA LLC) is a Russian charter airline based at Moscow's Domodedovo airport. Since 2015, it has been part of the tourist holding Anex Tourism Group and works for the needs of the tour operator Anex Tour, performing international charter flights from the cities of Russia. Until the end of 2014 the company was called Katekavia and was a regional airline specializing in air transportation in Siberian and Volga ...
Italian private airline Blue Panorama Airlines was founded in 1998 and operated its maiden flight in December this year. Blue Panorama Airlines has specialized in both regular and charter flights from Italy. By establishing codeshare agreements with Alitalia, Blue Air and Cubana de Aviacion, Blue Panorama Airlines is significantly expanding its route network. Airline Blue Pan ...
The Greek airline Bluebird Airways was founded in 2008. The main location of Bluebird Airways is the international airport of Heraklion "Nikos Kazantzakis" from which the airline begins to operate both regular and charter flights to Russia, Turkey and Israel. In 2010, Bluebird Airways becomes a member of the Versus Group and begins to operate significantly more flights to Russia on its only ...
British Midland Airways (BMI) began in 1938 as a flight school for the British Air Force. Since 1949, the airline continues to operate regular commercial flights under the name Derby Aviation, and since 1953, the airline only begins air travel and changes its name to Derby Airways. Since 1964, it bears its current name - British ...
British Airways is the national airline of the United Kingdom, based at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK in terms of fleet size and number of international flights. British Airways was created on the basis of AT&T, an air carrier that operated flights from London to Paris, and was registered in 1974. British Airways is one of the founders of al ...
The Belgian airline Brussels Airlines was founded on March 25, 2007 as a result of the merger of two airlines (SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express) owned by SN Airholding. On September 15, 2008, Lufthansa acquires a 45% stake in SN Airholding with the option to buy out the remaining 55% from 2011. On December 9, 2009, Brussels Airlines becomes an official member of the Star Alliance ...
Bul Air is a Bulgarian charter airline. It is a subsidiary of Bulgaria Air. On charter flights, Bul Air operates its own fleet of Boeing 737-300 aircraft (148 seats in economy class), the perfect technical condition of which is ensured by Lufthansa Technician Sofia. In the future, the company plans to expand its fleet with Boeing 737-800NG ( 189 Economy Class seats). This aircraft is considered the most ...
Bulgaria Air is the national carrier of the Republic of Bulgaria, which operates regular flights from Sofia and Varna to 28 destinations. Thanks to codeshare agreements with KLM, Air France, Brussels Airlines, Czech Airlines, El Al, LOT Polish Airlines, Malev Hungarian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Austrian Airlines, Alitalia, Air One and Aeroflot, Bulgaria Air customers have access to a route network from ...
Based in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Airways was originally founded in Shanghai on September 24, 1946. Cathay Pacific Airways operated its first flight on the Hong Kong-Manila-Shanghai route on its first Douglas DC-3 aircraft called "Betsy". Quite an interesting fact in the history of Cathay Pacific Airways is that having sold "Betsy" in 1955, 30 years later, Cathay Pacific Airways ...
The Chinese airline China Airlines was formed on December 16, 1959. China Airlines began operations with 26 employees and an air fleet of three military aircraft (one Douglas C-54 Skymaster military transport aircraft and two PBY Catalina maritime patrol bombers). In 1961, China Airlines began transporting military cargo to Laos. In 1962, an aviation ...
China Eastern Airlines was formed from the East China Regional Office of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation of the People's Republic of China on June 25, 1988. By January 2010, China Eastern Airlines had a fleet of 330 large and medium-sized passenger aircraft, as well as 18 general aviation aircraft. which flew to 151 destinations. At the moment, the airline's air fleet ...
China Southern Airlines (China Southern Airlines) has been operating at Guangzhou Airport since 1989. Today, China Southern Airlines is the largest airline in the People's Republic of China, with 1,930 flights every day to 193 destinations in 35 countries. China Southern Airlines was the first in the world to use airbus airliners A380 and Boeing 787. At the moment ...
Cobalt Air ("Cobalt Air") is the youngest air carrier in Europe, the specialization of which is the delivery of the resting public to the resorts of Cyprus. The chosen format of work is low-cost. The airline operated its first flight on July 7, 2016. The fleet consists of six aircraft - four Airbus A320s and two A319s. Serves 16 regular destinations ....
Copa Airlines was founded in 1947 as Panama's national airline under the name Compania Panamena de Aviacion (COPA). Having begun to operate domestic flights connecting the three cities on Douglas DC-3 / C47 aircraft, COPA in 1996 already operated 3 international flights a week (the first international line of Copa Airlines Panama - San Jose). Having replenished its air fleet in 1969 with a short-haul ...
The national carrier of the Republic of Croatia, Croatia Airlines was formed on 7 August 1989 under the name Zagal (Zagreb Airlines). Zagal operated the Cessna 402 C aircraft in its fleet. Following the elections in Croatia on 23 July 1990, Zagal was renamed Croatia Airlines. In 1991, Croatia Airlines rented an airplane from Adria Airways ...
National airline based at Vaclav Havel Prague Airport Czech Republic Czech Airlines was founded as Czechoslovak State Airlines on October 6, 1923, receiving 17 A-14 aircraft from the state. Czech Airlines operated its first flight by air mail from Prague to Bratislava on October 29, 1923 on an Aero A-14 (Brandenburg) biplane with registration number L-BARC. In 1929, Czech Airli ...
Delta Airlines was founded on May 30, 1924 under the name Huff Daland Dusters, which sprayed pesticides in the cotton fields of the South of the United States. On September 13, 1928, Huff Daland Dusters was renamed Delta Air Service and on June 17, 1929, it operated its first passenger flight from Dallas to Jackson. In 1987, Delta Airlines became one of the five largest airlines in the world. In 1991, the airline ...
The Egyptian airline EgyptAir was established on May 7, 1932. EgyptAir operated its first commercial flight in August 1933, starting flights between Cairo and Alexandria on a Spartan Cruiser. The airline EgyptAir began to develop rapidly and in 1935 added 12 De Havilland aircraft to its fleet. In 1946, EgyptAir added 10 Beechcraft aircraft to its fleet, and over the years ...
Located at the Tel Aviv airport, Israeli airline El Al was founded in 1948 as Israel's National Airlines. The first El Al flight was in September 1948, during which an El Al plane transported the first President of Israel from Geneva to the Tel Nof military base. In 1950-1956, El Al aircraft were actively used in Operation Magic Carpet and Ezra and Nehemiah, in ...
Ellinair is a Greek airline based at Thessaloniki International Airport. The airline's headquarters is located in Thessaloniki. The airline was established in February 2013. The main activity of Ellinair is the operation of seasonal charter flights from greek resorts Thessaloniki and Kerkyra to cities in Russia, Ukraine, Latvia and Italy. Since 15 June 2015, Ellinair has been operating regular domestic flights to the popular Greek destinations ...
Based at Abu Dhabi International Airport Abu Dhabi International Airport"Emirates Airlines is a wholly state-owned company. With the lease of two airliners (Boeing 737 and Airbus 300 B4), Emirates Airlines began operating commercial flights on October 25, 1985. Three years later, Emirates Airlines achieved stable profit margins and rapidly expanded as route network, t ...
Ethiopia's national air carrier, Ethiopian Airlines was founded on December 21, 1945 under the name Ethiopian Air Lines. Ethiopian Air Lines operated its first flight on April 8, 1946 (on the Addis Ababa - Cairo route on a former American military aircraft Douglas C-47 Skytrain). With a fleet of five Douglas C-47 Skytrains, Ethiopian Air Lines begins operating weekly flights ...
Based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, the national airline Etihad Airways is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. Founded in July 2003, Etihad Airways operated its first demonstration flight to Al Ain on November 5, 2003, and began scheduled flights to Beirut on November 12. One year after founding, Etihad Airways buys five ...
The Chinese private airline EVA Air was founded in March 1989. EVA Air's development history is somewhat different from the typical commercial airline development scenario. As a subsidiary of the transport conglomerate Evergreen Group, EVA Air was originally created to carry both passengers and cargo. Immediately after its founding, the airline did not buy used airplanes or ...
The state-controlled Finnish airline Finnair is the successor to Aero O / Y, one of the oldest airlines in Europe (Aero O / Y was registered on September 12, 1923). In 1946, Aero O / Y was acquired by the Finnish government and given its current name - Finnair. Finnair has one interesting fact... In 1983, the airspace of the USSR was over ...
Based at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Garuda Indonesia is the national carrier of Indonesia. Established under the name Garuda Indonesian Airways, the airline, with its Douglas DC-3 Dakota and PBY Catalina aircraft, began operating commercial flights back in 1949 (a flight from Kolkata to Rangoon was operated on January 26, 1949). In the 60s of the last century, Garuda Indones ...
Germania was founded in 1986 as Germania Fluggesellschaft mbH and is based in Cologne. Germania inherited the aircraft operating license from S.A.T. The first aircraft (Boeing 737-300) with the brand name "Germania", the Germania airline commissions in 1987 and in ten years brings the number of Boeing 737-300 to 13 units. In 1991, Germania begins to carry out ...
German airline Germanwings was founded on October 27, 2002 (Deutsche Lufthansa owns 100% of Germanwings). Germanwings is positioned as a low cost carrier and successfully performs both domestic and international flights to more than 100 destinations (including flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg). As of the end of 2013, having withdrawn from its fleet Airbus A ...
Based at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, Globus Airlines was formed in March 2008. Globus Airlines, a member of the S7 Group of Companies, operates flights under the S7 Airlines brand. Globus Airlines operates regular flights within Russia, as well as to the CIS countries and Europe. Globus Airlines' fleet consists of 13 boeing aircraft 737 different modifications. Since 2011, the airline is included in the register of operators I ...
Hainan Airlines (Hainan Airlines Co Ltd) is the largest private carrier in China. Founded in January 1993, Hainan Airlines (originally called Hainan Province Airlines) operated its maiden flight in the same year. in 1997, Hainan Province Airlines was renamed Hainan Airlines. Hainan Airlines has regular domestic and international flights, as well as ...
Heli Air Monaco is a helicopter airline based in Monaco. Heli Air Monaco was founded in 1976 with the support of Prince Rainier III of Monaco and this year carried 747 passengers on its only ENSTROM F28 helicopter. Throughout its history, Heli Air Monaco has constantly replenished its helicopter fleet ...
Russian charter airline I Fly (I FLY) received the "Operator Certificate" on November 24, 2009. The main activity of I FLY is the transportation of tourists to popular holiday destinations. One of the main directions of the Airline I-Fly (I FLY) are flights from Vnukovo Airport to: Antalya Airport (Turkey); Hurghada Airport (Egypt); Suvarnabhumi Airport (Thailand). For flights, by air ...
Iberia is the largest airline in Spain. Iberia airline was founded on June 28, 1927. Iberia operated its first flight on December 28, 1927. Today Iberia is one of the five largest airlines in Europe. With the merger of Iberia, British Airways and Vueling into the International Airlines Group, Iberia becomes part of the largest ...
Icelandair is Iceland's national carrier. The airline was created in 1937 under the name FlugfВlag Akureyrar (then it was based in the city of Akureyri). In 1940, the airline was relocated to Reykjavik and renamed Flugfelag Islands. In 1973 it merged with Loftleiоir to form Flugleiоir. And only a few years later it got its current name - Icelandair. Basic air ...
JSC Airline IrAero is a Russian airline based at the international airport of the city of Irkutsk. Provides regular, charter and cargo transportation in Russia, neighboring countries and China. JSC IrAero Airlines was established in 1999. Since 2006, IrAero has been carrying out passenger transportation and is currently the largest carrier in the region. The fleet of IrAero aircraft consists of CRJ-100/200 aircraft (pr ...
The Israeli airline Israir Airlines traces its history back to 1996. Mainly, Israir Airlines specializes in domestic scheduled passenger services. In addition, Israir Airlines operates regular, charter international flights and vip transportation, as well as air taxi services. The base airport of Israir Airlines is Tel Aviv Ben-Gurion International Airport, and additional ...
Japan Airlines (JAL) was founded in 1951. At the moment, Japan Airlines is one of the largest airlines in Japan, engaged in passenger and cargo transportation. April 1, 2011, Japan Airlines International Co., Ltd. changed its name to Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. .. Japan Airlines' fleet consists of more than 300 modern airliners (mainly Boeing 747). More than 8.5 ...
JAT Airways is Serbia's state airline based in Belgrade, Nikola Tesla Airport. The airline was founded in 1927 under the name Aeroput, and in 1947 it was renamed Jugoslovenski Aerotransport. In the 1980s, it was one of the largest airlines in Europe. Today JAT operates flights to cities in Europe and maintains partnerships with several airlines, including Lufthansa. JAT Airways performs & n ...
The private airline Karthago Airlines was founded in 2001. Despite the fact that the main base of Karthago Airlines is located at Djerba-Zarzis Airport, Karthago Airlines operates most of its flights from Tunis-Carthage International Airport. The airline Karthago Airlines specializes in operating charter flights between Tunisia and Europe (Copenhagen and Stockholm). By sos ...
Kenya Airways was founded as a state-owned company from the liquidated East African Airways in January 1977. In 1986, the privatization process of Kenya Airways began. In 1997, Kenya Airways receives its first of four Boeing 737-300s for domestic and regional flights and launches the Msafir frequent flyer loyalty program, which is integrated with ...
KLM Airlines was founded on September 12, 1919 by military pilot Albert Plezman and has since retained its name - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Royal Netherlands Airlines) and the motto: "The air ocean unites people." Despite its age, KLM has one of the newest and most modern air fleets. It consists of 120 airliners of various brands: Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300, Boeing 737-700, Boeing ...
The South Korean airline Korean Air was founded on March 1, 1969. Seoul International Airport Seoul-Kimpo International is the base airport for Korean Air. In 2007, Korean Air was honored with the prestigious World Airline Awards as Best Airline economy class. The fleet of Korean Air in September 2013 consisted of 147 aircraft (121 airliners for passenger transportation and 26 airliners for ...
LAN Airlines was established under the name Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica by the Chilean government to carry out passenger, cargo and postal air services in 1929. In 1932, the airline Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica was changed to Línea Aérea Nacional de Chile (LAN Chile). 60 years after the airline was founded, the Chilean government is selling 51% of the airline's shares to local investors and Sca ...
Lauda Air is an airline based in Vienna, Austria. Operates regular, charter and weekend flights to Europe, North Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Lauda Air was founded in 1979 by former Formula 1 champion Niki Lauda and began operations in 1985, initially operating charters and air taxi services. 1989 Lauda Air began operating the first long-haul ...
LOT Polish Airlines is the national airline of Poland. 62.4% of its shares are owned by the Polish government, and the remaining 37.6% are owned by the SAir Group. The airline's representative office is located in Warsaw as well as its base airport - Warsaw-Okecie. The airline LOT Polish started operating in 1929. But then the Civil Aviation Department nationalized all private airlines and merged them into one state - Linje Lot ...
Lufthansa, one of the oldest airlines in Europe, was registered on January 6, 1926. But it really turned around and became one of the largest air carriers only in the 60s, when the first in Europe began to operate flights on the then most modern Boeing-707. Then the fleet lufthansa Airlines expanded and replenished with new Boeing 727, 737, 747 and economical Airbus A300. To date, the Lufthansa fleet includes ...
Malaysia's national state airline, Malaysia Airlines, was founded on October 12, 1937 under the name Malayan Airways Limited. As a national airline, Malayan Airways Limited operated its first commercial flight on April 2, 1947. Malaysia Airlines operates scheduled flights to 85 destinations across six continents. Malaysia Airlines' main hub is Int ...
The private Italian airline Meridiana was founded to promote tourism in Sardinia by Prince Karim on March 29, 1963 under the name Alisarda. In 1964, Alisarda began operating flights from Olbia airport on eight local Beechcraft C-45 aircraft and in its first year of operation managed to carry 186 passengers. Following the acquisition in 1966 of two 26 local Nord 262 aircraft, Alisarda begins to ...
Metrojet airline appeared on May 1, 2012, as a result of the renaming of the airline KOLAVIA, which was engaged in regular and charter air transportation (founded on May 17, 1993). In June 2013, Metrojet Airlines, based at Domodedovo Airport, became part of the TH&C international travel holding, which marked the beginning of a new stage in the company's development. In 2013, Metrojet Airlines operated flights from Moscow to St.Petersburg ...
MIAT Mongolian Airlines is the national airline of Mongolia, with its base airport in Ulaanbaatar "Chinggis Khaan International Airport". The history of MIAT Mongolian Airlines is inextricably linked with the history of the Mongolian Air Force, which begins with a gift in the form of a Junkers Y-13, which the USSR gave Mongolia on May 25, 1925. More or less regular air transportation of passengers within the country, MIAT Mongolian Airlines began in ...
The national carrier of Lebanon, Middle East Airlines (MEA) is based at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Middle East Airlines was formed on May 31, 1945 with the support of BOAC. Middle East Airlines began operating on January 1, 1946, flying from Beirut to Nicosia. Using the airline at its disposal three self ...
The national airline of the Republic of Montenegro "Montenegro Airlines" was established in September 1994 (registered on October 24). The difficult situation in the country did not allow Montenegro Airlines to acquire its first aircraft (a used Fokker 28Mk 4000 called "Lovcen") until the fall of 1996. Montenegro Airlines performed its first flight on May 7, 1997 (international flight to Bari). In July 1998, ...
Niki is the first Austrian low-cost airline. The history of Niki begins with the purchase in November 2003 of the German airline Aero Lloyd (together with two Airbus 320s and one Airbus 321) and the founding of NIKI Luftfahrt GmbH. The main goal of NIKI Luftfahrt GmbH, in addition to organizing charter flights, is to create a new low-cost airline. Ni ...
The Russian airline NordStar was founded on December 17, 2008 and is a trademark owned by Taimyr Airlines. NordStar operated its first flight on June 17, 2009 (flight Moscow - Norilsk). At the initial stage of its activity, NordStar Airlines concentrated its efforts on air transportation between Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk and Moscow. By 2013, the route network of NordStar Airlines has significantly increased ...
Airline Nordwind Airlines (North Wind LLC) is one of the most dynamically developing airlines in Russia. Established in May 2008, Nordwind Airlines, with just three aircraft, begins to operate charter flights to six resort destinations. In 2013, the route network of Nordwind Airlines already had 97 destinations in 27 countries, while Nordwind Airlines plans for 2013-2014 ...
Norwegian airline Norwegian (Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA) was founded in 1993. From its founding until 2012, Norwegian, together with Braathens S.A.F.E. with the help of Fokker F-50 aircraft was engaged in air transportation to west coast Norway. After purchasing Braathens S.A.F.E. with SAS in 2002, Norwegian began regular domestic flights with Boei ...
Based at Tunis-Carthage International Airport, the private airline Nouvelair Tunisia traces its history back to the founding of Air Liberte Tunisie. Founded on 6 October 1989 as a subsidiary of the French airline Air Liberte, Air Liberte Tunisie began operating two MD83 leased aircraft. After the main shareholder of Nouvelair Tunisia becomes ...
The Greek airline Olympic Air is the successor of the national airline Olympic Airways, formed on April 6, 1957. Olympic Airways was renamed Olympic Air in 2003 and operated until September 29, 2009. The new Olympic Air, which inherited the logo, property and part of the route network of the former company, operated its first flight on October 1, 2009. At the moment, based ...
Pakistan's national airline Pakistan International Airlines has a rather unusual history. was founded on October 23, 1946 (even before the division of the territory of British India in 1947) in Kolkata under the name Orient Airways. After receiving four Douglas DC-3s on June 4, 1947, Orient Airways began operating the Kolkata-Situe-Yangon route. Since August 14, 1947 (Pakistan Independence Day), Orient Ai ...
Pegas Fly (legal name of Ikar Airlines LLC) is a Russian airline based at Yemelyanovo airport in Krasnoyarsk and providing regular long-distance passenger services. The airline has a Khabarovsk branch. The airline was founded in 1992 in Magadan. In 2013, the airline was acquired from previous owners and transferred to Krasnoyarsk.On April 16, 2013 admission to the implementation of international ...
Low-cost airline Pegasus Airlines is the only private airline in Turkey with domestic and international flights from Sabiha Gokcen Airport. The now low-cost airline Pegasus Airlines was founded on December 1, 1989 to provide tourist and charter flights. Pegasus Airlines operated its first flight on April 15, 1990. In 1994, the owner of all shares of Pega airline ...
The Australian airline Qantas is one of the oldest airlines in the world (second only to KLM) that has survived to this day. Qantas history begins with the formation of Western Queensland Auto Aero Service Limited and its decision on August 19, 1920 to purchase two Avro 504K aircraft from Sydney airfield. Qantas was formalized on November 16, 1920 at the Gresham Hotel in Brisbane. Western Que ...
The national carrier of Qatar, Qatar Airways has been one of the fastest growing airlines in the world since 1997. Thanks to the group of companies belonging to the Qatar Airways Group (Qatar Duty Free, Al Maha Services, Qatar Aircraft Catering Company, Qatar Airways Cargo, Qatar Aviation Services, The Qatar Distribution Company, Internal Media Services, Doha International Airport and Qatar Executive), Qatar Airways in ...
Based at Moscow Vnukovo Airport, Red Wings Airlines was founded in 1999 under the name Airlines 400. In 2007, Airlines 400 was renamed into Red Wings Airlines, and since 2008 has become a full member of the Russian Association of Air Transport Operators. Red Wings Airlines begins to operate year-round charter flights to the most popular tourist destinations ...
Royal Flight - JSC "Airline" ROYAL FLIGHT "is a Russian charter airline that performs charter passenger air transportation. Based at Sheremetyevo airport. Headquartered in Moscow, the airline switched to international passenger transportation under the Royal Flight brand in 2014. On March 8, 2014, the first flight on the route Moscow - Antalya was performed from Domodedovo airport ...
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The national airline of Jordan, Royal Jordanian, was originally named Alia. Alia Airlines was founded on December 9, 1963 and began operations a week later. With three aircraft at its disposal, Alia began operating flights to four destinations, linking Amman, Kuwait, Beirut and Cairo. Alia gradually expanded its air fleet and route map. Its first scheduled flight to Europe, an airline ...
Based at Jeddah International Airport, Saudia is the flagship airline Saudi Arabia... The history of Saudia began with the fact that after the opening of navigation on the Suez Canal on February 14, 1945, Roosevelt (President of the United States) presented King Aziz with a Douglas DC-3 Dakota (HZ-AAX) aircraft. In the same year, the aircraft began to be used for air transportation of goods and passengers between the cities of Riyadh, ...
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), a multinational airline, was founded on August 1, 1946 as a result of a partnership between three leading airlines (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) to organize international flights in Scandinavia. Scandinavian Airlines System operates regular passenger and cargo services. In 1954, Scandinavian Airlines System became the first airline ...
China regional airline Shenzhen Airlines was founded (major shareholders are Air China and Shenzhen International Total Logistics Co, Ltd) in November 1992 with the aim of providing passenger, cargo and airmail services. Shenzhen Airlines began operating on September 17, 1993. From the very beginning of its operation, Shenzhen Airlines has been distinguished by high development dynamics and quality of ...
Singapore Airlines was founded in 1972 by splitting the older Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (founded May 1, 1947 as Malayan Airways Limited) into two new airlines: Singapore Airlines and the Malaysian Airline System. Thanks to the concentration of efforts, by 1989, Singapore Airlines had at its disposal not only a developed ground infrastructure and an air fleet consisting of ...
Based at Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport, South African Airways (SAA) was founded on February 1, 1934, after the South African government gained control of the assets and liabilities of Union Airways (which served as the basis for South African Airways which entered the subordination of the administration of South African railways and ports). Having received its first airplane on November 1, 1934 ...
We present a list of the largest airlines that operate regular and charter flights in Russia and international transportation with their official websites and main airports. On the websites of airlines you can buy a ticket, see current promotions and special offers.
Aeroflot
- Official site: aeroflot.ru
The largest and oldest Russian airline, one of the oldest in the world. Performs domestic and international translations from Russia all over the world. It has three subsidiary airlines: Aurora, Pobeda and Russia.
"Russia"
- Official website: rossiya-airlines.com
- Nodal airport: Pulkovo (St. Petersburg)
S7 Airlines
- Official website: s7.ru
- Junction airport: Tolmachevo (Novosibirsk), Domodedovo (Moscow)
The former Siberia Airlines, founded in 1992, underwent a large-scale rebranding in 2006. It currently operates regular domestic and international flights. Owns a subsidiary airline "Globus".
UTair
- Official website: utair.ru
- Junction airport: Vnukovo (Moscow), Surgut (Surgut)
Ural Airlines
- Official website: uralairlines.ru
- Base and hub airports: Koltsovo (Yekaterinburg), Domodedovo (Moscow, Tolmachevo (Novosibirsk)
Carries out passenger and cargo transportation in Russia and abroad.
"Victory"
- Official website: pobeda.aero
- Junction airport: Vnukovo (Moscow)
Low-cost subsidiary airline Aeroflot.
"Azur Air"
- Official site: azurair.com
Russian airline specializing in charter flights to popular resort destinations in Europe and Asia.
"Nordwind Airlines"
- Official website: nordwindairlines.ru
- Junction airport: Sheremetyevo (Moscow)
The subsidiary airline of the tour operator Pegasus Turistichesk, which operates both regular flights and charter transfers to popular destinations, including resort cities in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and Central America.
Vim-Avia (Vim Airlines)
- Official site: vim-avia.com
- Junction airport: Domodedovo (Moscow)
It operates regular domestic flights across Russia, including the South, Urals, Siberia and the Far East, as well as charter flights to resort destinations in Europe and Asia.
"Aurora"
- Official website: flyaurora.ru
- Airports: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk.
Subsidiary of Aeroflot. Provides internal transfers within Russia (Siberia, the Far East, Sakhalin Oblast, Primorsky Krai), as well as international flights to China, Japan and South Korea.
"Pegas Fly" (Icarus)
- Official site: pegasfly.com
- Junction airport: Yemelyanovo (Krasnoyarsk)
Performs part of the charter flights of the tour operator "Pegas Turistik" from russian cities on popular resorts Europe and Asia.
"NordStar"
- Official website: nordstar.ru
- Airports: Domodedovo (Moscow), Emelyanovo (Krasnoyarsk), Alykel (Norilsk)
It operates regular and charter flights from Krasnoyarsk and Norilsk to Russian cities and resorts both in Russia and southern Europe.
"Royal Flight"
- Official website: royalflight.ru
- Airports: Sheremetyevo (Moscow), Abakan.
Most of the aircraft flying in Russia are not older than their counterparts used abroad. However, 17.7% of the fleet is old cars, many of which have exhausted their resource and have problems with parts. Another disadvantage of the domestic market is problems with service and supervision, due to which almost the entire Russian fleet is registered in third countries
Photo: Transport-Photo Images
It became the largest disaster in the history of Russian aviation. The day after the tragedy of the Kogalymavia (Metrojet) Airbus 321, which killed 224 people, the Russian investigation opened two criminal cases under the articles "providing services that do not meet safety requirements" and "violating flight safety rules or preparing for them." ... Searches took place at the carrier's office, Domodedovo, Samara airport, where the board was refueled. State Duma deputies immediately called for a ban on the operation of aircraft over 15 years old (Airbus "Kogalymavia" was 18 years old) and the revocation of the license of carrier companies with a small number of aircraft. The head of the State Duma's international affairs committee, Alexei Pushkov, said that he leads to plane crashes. The deputies put forward similar initiatives after the crash of the 23-year-old Boeing 737 in Kazan on October 17, 2013. Then, as now, the public ignored the statements of airlines and industry experts who argued that an airplane was not a machine and 20 years of operation for it was not such a long time.
Both aircraft - Boeing in Kazan and Airbus over Sinai - were in good working order according to the latest data. The Kazan disaster, as decided by the commission of inquiry, is Egyptian - three weeks later it was recognized as a terrorist attack. The suspicions about the poor condition of the aircraft flying in Russia, however, did not disappear. RBC analyzed the fleet of Russian companies performing regular and charter passenger transportation, and found out how justified the suspicions of its wear are.
As we thought
The basis was the list of valid airworthiness certificates of the Federal Air Transport Agency for October 22, 2015 (that is, aircraft that are allowed to fly in Russia), data from the official websites of carriers and Internet resources airfleets.com, russianplanes.net and flightradar24.com. We have excluded from the full list small aircraft (private jets), aircraft of local airlines (practical range less than 1000 km, mainly An-2), helicopters, business jets, as well as all aircraft not used for passenger transportation - for example, cargo and agricultural. The sample also did not include aircraft that are not used for the transportation of passengers for commercial purposes: for example, the aircraft fleet of the Air Force, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and a special detachment for the transportation of top officials (SLO "Russia"), as well as aircraft belonging to aircraft manufacturing plants. The lists we received with detailed information about each aircraft were sent to all operating airlines with a request to confirm the correctness of the data we collected. All answers were taken into account in the analysis results.
Our statistics also include aircraft of the second largest Russian airline, Transaero. was adopted on October 1, and on October 26, the company lost its operator certificate and ceased operations. The Transaero fleet is in the process of being returned to lessors: several dozen cars can be received by Aeroflot, which has got part of the airline's routes, the rest will be sold on the market or written off. Considering the entire Transaero fleet in the sample (according to open data as of October, these are 122 aircraft), we were guided by the fact that most of it could be transferred to other Russian operators, and the fleet composition reflects the economic model of the largest private Russian carrier.
What will happen to the huge fleet of Transaero, the second largest carrier after Aeroflot in terms of the number of aircraft (one of them is in the photo), is not yet clear (Photo: TASS)
Which models are chosen
The most popular family in Russia is the medium-haul Airbus 320 (A320, A319 and A321): 249 such aircraft are allowed to fly in the country. In second place with 203 aircraft is the family of medium-haul Boeing 737s, the flights of which were recently requested to be suspended by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).
According to our data, there are only 130 long-haul aircraft in Russia, of which 76.6% are Boeing 747, 767 and 777 models.
There is no definition of a medium-haul aircraft in Russian legislation. In the world, it is customary to refer to this category as vehicles with a flight range of over 2.5 thousand km. Long-haul vehicles in Russia are considered to have a flight range of more than 8 thousand km.
Not so long ago, Airbus became the leader among aircraft flying on medium-haul routes in Russia. The Big Four companies - Aeroflot, S7, UTair, Transaero - divided their preferences in two in 2013, explains Andrey Kramarenko, a researcher at the Institute for Transport Economics and Transport Policy at the Higher School of Economics. The first two were chosen by Airbus, the latter by Boeing. Now Transaero has stopped flying, and UTair has significantly reduced its fleet.
The two rival aircraft manufacturers provide most of the world's aircraft fleets. According to the international organization Center for Aviation (CAPA, Australia) for April 2013, 39.7% of all ships operated in the world are Boeing aircraft and 28.7% are Airbus. Russia is no exception. The aircraft of the two companies occupy 61.7% of the Russian fleet, 14.3% - other foreign aircraft (Embraer, Bombardier, De Havilland Canada, Let, ATR).
Domestic aircraft account for only 24% of the total fleet of Russian carriers. Moreover, for modern samples - An-148, Tu-204, Tu-214 and Sukhoi Superjet - only 6.3%. The remaining 17.7% are old modifications of An, Tu and Yak, most of which were flown in the USSR. “But in the volume of passenger traffic, the share of these machines is less than 5%,” adds Alexander Fridlyand, professor at the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation.
Sukhoi Superjet is in the lead in terms of quantity among modern Russian models: domestic airlines have 39 such aircraft. “Sukhoi Superjet has a niche, but it is very narrow due to its size (capacity - up to 100 seats. - RBK) ”, Says Fridlyand. According to him, it is large for local and regional routes, and on mainline routes with good passenger traffic it is inferior to economical cars for 150-200 seats. “Its niche is mainline, but weak in terms of flows,” the source said.
An-24 has not been produced since 1979, but there are 67 more such aircraft in the fleet of Russian companies. (Photo: Transport-Photo Images)
Most of the Soviet aircraft in the fleet of An-24 airlines - 67 aircraft. The turboprop passenger aircraft for short and medium-haul lines was developed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the late 1950s. The maximum capacity is up to 52 passengers. It is operated mainly by Russian regional companies (RBC considers these to be non-long-haul flights, flights through the capital's air hub and not based in Moscow and St. Petersburg). “An-24 is the only aircraft in the world of this class that lands on the ground, on packed snow or on ice,” recalls the honored pilot of the USSR, President of the Air Transport Infrastructure Development Fund Oleg Smirnov. - He flew all over airspace The USSR is practically irreplaceable in the current conditions in the Far North ”.
Now the An-24 is still used by the companies based in the north: Polar Airlines, Yakutia, Chukotavia. While it is impossible to replace it massively with foreign models. Firstly, the planes of foreign brands, which could land at the airfields of these regions, accommodate fewer passengers, explains Kramarenko. In addition, the technical documentation for them is on english language, which is not owned by all pilots and personnel of the An-24. However, during 2012-2013 Yakutia leased five Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft with a capacity of 70 to 80 seats. In addition to Bombardier, Canadian De Havilland Canada 6 Twin Otters fly in the Aeroflot subsidiary of the Far Eastern airline Aurora. Most likely, in the coming years, all An-24s will be replaced by foreign aircraft, "since they will run out of service and it will become extremely difficult and expensive to maintain their airworthiness," predicts Dmitry Mirgorodsky, a partner at the consulting company Concuros, former vice president of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft. There are no replacements for their domestic counterparts.
The second most popular among Soviet aircraft is the Yak-42: there are 33 such aircraft in the fleet of Russian airlines. However, several of them are in storage: some are waiting for replacement parts, some will not rise into the air. The cars are included in the parks of Gazpromavia, Grozny Avia, Izhavia, Saratov Airlines. The latter company two years ago began to fly on the Brazilian Embraer 190.
How old are planes in Russia
As the study has shown, on average in Russia, the age of foreign models is less than their service life, and our aircraft are often more. According to Andrey Sharypov, head of the civil aviation vessels certification department of the State Scientific Research Institute of Civil Aviation, for foreign vehicles it is about 40-60 thousand hours, that is, 30 years. For the Soviets it was less - about 20 years. The manufacturer can extend the service life individually for each vessel.
For example, the average age of the Boeing 737 Classic generation (modifications 300, 400, 500) in Russia is 20.2 years. Boeing 737 Next Generation (modifications 600, 700, 800, 900) - 9.1 years. Airbus 320 modifications - 7.5 years, A319 - 11.9 years (see infographic). These numbers are not much different from the world average. Dutch airline KLM, according to planespotters.net, has Boeing New Generation flying at an average age of 9.3 years. The American low-cost airline Southwest Airlines, according to USA Today and airfleets.net, is 9.7 years old. Boeing 737 Classic aircraft (300, 400 and 500 modifications) of this airline are on average more than 22 years old.
As for Airbus, the A320 fleet of German Germanwings is 23 years old. The American Delta, flying with Aeroflot in the Skyteam alliance, is 20.7 years old. Delta's A319 aircraft are 13.8 years old.
The oldest model of aircraft flying in Russia is An-24. On average, they are 42.1 years old. The average age of another Soviet Yak-42 aircraft still in operation is 24.7 years.
Soviet aircraft and modern Russian (with the exception of Sukhoi Superjet), unlike foreign ones, have problems with parts. Mass production such machines have been stopped, so you have to order components by the piece, which costs several times more, says Sergey Koval, deputy head of the department for monitoring and verifying the authenticity of the Research Institute of Civil Aviation. As a result, parts with forged documents are sometimes put on Soviet cars. According to Koval's estimates, there are now up to 8% of illegal parts on the market, and from 2001 to 2015, there were 50 serious incidents due to problems with parts (including incidents with airplanes and helicopters).
What happened to the Soviet design bureaus
The Saratov Aviation Plant, which produced the Yak aircraft, went bankrupt and was completely liquidated. The design bureaus that developed the Soviet aircraft - the Tupolev Design Bureau and the Yakovlev Design Bureau (now part of the United Aircraft Corporation) - continue to exist mainly by escorting the remaining ships in service, says Koval. The Antonov Design Bureau (now the Antonov State Enterprise) is located in Ukraine.
The age of the aircraft, according to professionals, does not affect its technical condition and airworthiness. “As the commander of the ship, I don’t ask: will you give me an old plane or I’ll fly on a new one — that does not interest me at all,” Smirnov explains. The main thing is whether the aircraft underwent maintenance and repairs on time throughout its life. In addition, every detail of the aircraft has its own resources. By that time, Smirnov says, "as the plane turns 17, these parts can be replaced several times."
The study found that 58.7% of the aircraft in the Russian fleet had only one or two operators. And more than ten air carriers that have replaced each other - in the luggage only 3% of the boards. Moreover, in many cases, two of the same companies used aircraft in turn. So, for example, the plane of Izhavia Airlines Yak-42: according to the data of airfleets.net, taking into account the alternating of the same carriers, it changed 20 operators in 28 and a half years. According to Smirnov, professionals are suspicious of an aircraft that had previously flown "in countries with high humidity, such as Africa." However, both the lessor and the owner are obliged to put such a car in order. In this regard, the lessor is important for the technical condition of the aircraft, and not the previous operator, the expert believes.
As a rule, carriers refuse aircraft for economic reasons, and not because of the end of its life, according to a study of the leasing company Avalon (offices in the US, Ireland, Dubai, Singapore and China). In Russia, foreign and new domestic aircraft models cease to be used in 20-23 years, says Kramarenko, a research fellow at the Higher School of Economics. The global performance, according to the Avalon study, is similar.
Age preferences of airlines
Russian airlines with the oldest fleets use Soviet aircraft. Among the carriers with ten or more aircraft, the oldest fleet - 41.2 years - belongs to the Turukhan company, which is part of the UTair group. It mainly performs charter flights, including for mining companies. But Turukhan also has regular flights, so its planes were included in our study.
In total, there are 16 companies in Russia that operate aircraft over 25 years old for regular and charter flights (see table).
The youngest fleet belongs to Pobeda, which recently started operating as a subsidiary of Aeroflot. Its sides are only a year old. Aeroflot's average fleet age, according to RBK estimates, is 4.6 years. The planes of the “Transaero” that stopped flights were on average 18.6 years old (the S7 fleet was 9.2 years old, and UTair was 14 years old). In 2005-2008, many Russian airlines, including the "Big Four" carriers, when fuel prices went up, massively renewed their fleet, preferring aircraft with lower fuel consumption. In particular, this explains the rather young fleet of foreign aircraft in Russia, Fridland notes.
On April 1, 2001, the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) entered into force, establishing low noise levels for aircraft engines flying in Europe. Almost all Soviet and Russian aircraft of that time did not meet the new criteria: Tu-134, Tu-154B, Tu-154M, Il-62, Il-86. Thus, airlines that actively flew to Europe and transited over European countries were forced to replace their old noisy cars with new imported ones.
Low-cost airline Pobeda is the youngest Russian air carrier with the youngest fleet. Their Boeing averages just a year (Photo: TASS)
There is a significant gap between the average age of aircraft of different companies abroad. According to a Bloomberg rating in January 2013, the American Delta has an average age of 15.8, Southwest Airlines 14.7, Aeromexico 15.2, Lufthansa 12.4, Air France 11.5, Ryanair five years.
Each company chooses for itself what is more cost effective for it: a new or older aircraft, Mirgorodsky emphasizes. For example, the purchase of a new Boeing 737-800 will cost about $ 48-55 million. The same ten-year model will already cost $ 16-18 million, says Alexander Kochetkov, head of the leasing company Gold nsky Leasing. But old aircraft also require maintenance costs. companies can afford to pay such sums at a time - they have to lease cars.In Russia, according to the estimates of Ilyushin Finance Co., at least 80% of aircraft in operation are leased.
This is exactly what the largest market player, Aeroflot, is doing, which is going to enter the top 20 global air carriers in terms of revenue and passenger traffic by 2025. For the sake of this goal, the airline has been not only increasing, but also refreshing its fleet for several years now, CEO Vitaly Savelyev said many times in his interviews. “It is difficult to compete on the world market on an old aircraft,” explains Mirgorodsky. Older models are also given by Aeroflot to its subsidiaries - the airlines Aurora, Orenburg Airlines, Donavia, and Russia.
But many companies do not even have enough money to lease new aircraft. "Transaero", for example, dreamed of pushing a state competitor, because of expensive debt financing, as she herself admitted in her financial statements, built up the fleet with cheap foreign and new machines, Vedomosti wrote. After the devaluation of the ruble at the end of last year, leasing prices for Russian companies increased significantly even for old aircraft (lease payments are made in foreign currency. - RBK), adds Mirgorodsky. According to Kochetkov's estimates, leasing a new Boeing 737-800 costs an average of $ 4.2 million a year, and a ten-year lease costs about $ 2 million.
